Throughout history, society has transported merchandise and personal effects from one locale to another for a variety of reasons. These items have been transported through a variety of transportation mechanisms including containers, such as trunks, baskets, suitcases, boxes, and numerous other custom shipping devices. As time has progressed and transportation modes, such as the automobile, train, airplane, and ship, have undergone dynamic changes in the name of efficiency and progress. Likewise, technology surrounding freight restraint systems has progressed in an effort to accommodate the increased rates of speed of transportation and the increased demands of the customers.
While large pieces of freight may be transported through many different methods methods, today it has become common to transport freight within intermodal containers or flat bed trailers. Intermodal containers typically are twenty to forty feet in length by eight to ten feet in width by seven to nine feet in height. Intermodal containers have become an integral part of the transportation industry because of their convenience and adaptability. Specifically, intermodal containers may be stacked upon each other on the deck of a cargo ship, mounted on wheel structures for land transportation, or mounted on flat deck train cars, thereby enabling intermodal containers to transport freight via land, sea, or rail.
While intermodal containers bridge the gap between transportation via land, sea or rail, the containers fail to provide adequate means for securing the pieces of freight located therein. Specifically, most freight possess exterior dimensions that do not make them readily available to be positioned tightly within the interior surfaces of an intermodal container. For instance, a typical twenty foot long intermodal container may hold eighty fifty-five gallon barrels double-stacked within its interior compartment. In this position, approximately one to two inches exist between the rearward-most surface of the freight and the interior surface of the doors. While this small amount of space appears to be insignificant and undeserving of attention, just the opposite is the case, primarily because of the importance of restraining freight from moving to prohibit damage and to comply with regulations, such as United States Federal Regulation 49 C.F.R. 176.76, Oct. 1, 2000, requiring that freight traveling by vessel be secured to prevent movement in any direction. Further, other regulations (like United States Federal Regulation 49 C.F.R. 176.834, Oct. 1, 2000), requires that hazardous materials transported on public highways be secured against movement.
When containers change direction or speed, the freight contained therein continue along the previously established path until contacting the interior surface of the container and thereby forcing it to change direction. Without some type of restraint or cushioning system, the freight builds up considerable momentum independent of the container. When the freight contacts an interior surface of the intermodal container, the momentum possessed by the freight creates a force that is absorbed by the freight. Such absorption of the force may damage the freight, the packaging surrounding the freight or the walls of the intermodal container. Damaging the shipping containers may cause a release of hazardous materials. Accordingly, it is undesirable to permit freight to gain momentum independent of the intermodal container.
The transportation industry has addressed this issue by attempting to restrict freight from moving by using numerous methods. For instance, freight has been secured through lumber bracing and load-locking. Load-locking freight entails placing wood between the rear doors of the intermodal container and the freight and between the sides of the intermodal container and the freight. Typically, construction of the wood bracing is not performed by employees of the transporter; rather, the construction is outsourced to carpentry crews—a process that has proven to be costly and time inefficient. Further, wooden supports are often brittle and unable to absorb the forces developed during transportation. Additionally, as loads shift during transit, bracing often falls from its position to the floor and is rendered useless. Moreover, traditional load-locking using lumber bracing is not capable of being used for all freight. For instance, positioning eighty fifty-five gallon drums within a typical intermodal container does not allow enough space between the rearward surface of the drums and the interior surface of the doors of the intermodal container. Thus, the method of load-locking using lumber bracing is fraught with shortcomings.
Another attempt of restraining freight is disclosed within U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,251. The 251 patent discloses an invention which is composed of sealing strips that are adhered to opposing sides of a container, a strip of bracing material and an adjoining mechanism used to bind the ends of the strips together into a secure and taut restraint. The disclosure of this patent is hereby incorporated into this application by reference.
While the 251 patent solved some of the problems associated with the previous methods employed for bracing freight, it did not solve all of the problems and at times created other problems. For instance, the 251 patent discloses a method of securing freight within an intermodal container by applying strips of material to the walls of the intermodal container using an adhesive that is applied separately. Installation of these strips of material is labor intensive and costly as regulation of the amount of adhesive placed on each strip is not easily controlled. Further, the juncture where the strips contact one another provide an opportunity for slippage because of inherent weakness in the design. Moreover, these strips of material are prone to elongate when subject to a force. Specifically, these strips are prone to elongating about 23 percent when subjected to a force, as evidenced by testing conducted by the Bureau of Explosives and reported in the Bureau's Intermodal Loading Guide, Circular No. 43-C, Pamphlet No. 45, BOE Pamphlet No. 6C, Last Revised March 1998 (hereinafter, BOE Pamphlet).
An additional disadvantage of the prior art is that the tools used to secure the strips of material around a load of freight require two or more people to use. Typically, the tools include a cylindrical shaft having a slot for receiving the material. The tool is used to tighten strips of material around a load of freight by first positioning ends of the material within the slot. The tool is then rotated using a wrench. A ratchet holds the tool in this position and prohibits it from unwinding during the tightening process. Thus, the ratchet allows the tool to be rotated but prevents it from unwinding. Typically, a head of the ratchet is attached to the tool at a first end, and a second end of the ratchet, located opposite the first end, is positioned so that it bears against the freight. In this position, a single person can tighten the strips of material around the load of freight. However, a single person cannot attach a patch over the intersection between the two strips of material because as the ratchet bears against the load of freight after the material has been tightened, the forces generated by the tool and translated to the ratchet arm cause the tool to be pushed away from the freight. As a result, a second person is needed to push the tool in contact with the freight while another person affixes a patch across the intersection.
Thus, a need exists for a device capable of restraining freight during transportation from movement in all directions and capable of being attached to a variety of surfaces. Further, a need exists for a device having the ability to return to its original shape and location after absorbing a force. In addition, a need exists for a restraint system which employs an efficient method of using restraint straps. Finally, a need exists for a tool capable of being used by a single person to tighten strips of material around freight and to affix the strips in this position.